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My brother’s about to do up the bathroom in the flat he’s just bought and has been getting quotes from various builders. I’m amazed at the variance in the prices – one guy quoted $18,000, another $12,000 and one guy came in at $8,000.

That’s a $10,000 difference between quotes for what’s ostensibly the same job. So how on earth should he know which one to pick?

Building is complex and there are many variables involved. Which means you need to get numerous quotes.

I spoke to Allen Cetinic, who runs Render My Home, about how to tell if you’re being charged a fair price. He says the process of quoting is a complex one. “The only way you can judge is by making sure you’re comparing apples with apples. Building is complex and there are many variables involved. Which means you need to get numerous quotes.”

Cetinic says there are many ways to approach a job, and many materials and finishes that can be used, which is one reason there’s such disparity in prices.

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“You might call in one electrician who’ll just quote you for a basic job and another one will give you a more comprehensive quote that might include things that need to be attended to over the next year. And that’s where people will go wrong – some will do a basic job and others will quote you on something that’s more thorough.”

He says it’s essential for consumers to do their research and interview people before agreeing to use a tradesperson for a job – it only takes five minutes to get a feel for whether you can work with someone. He also says three quotes might not be enough.

“You might have to speak to six or seven people before you find the right person for you,” Cetinic says.

So how should you compare quotes? One way, says Cetinic, is to be very clear on the scope of work. What does the quote include? Does it cover rubbish removal? How about cleaning up? What about painting? All these factors will influence the price of the job. It’s all about making sure your expectations are the same as the tradesperson’s. Don’t just assume you’ll get exactly what you want.

“Sharing quotes could be a good idea and make sure the quotes cover the same things,” he says.

Another important variable is the credibility of the service provider. Cetinic says: “Look at whether they have an online presence, think about where the referral to the tradesperson came from, how long they’ve been in business, their qualifications and their experience. It’s all about doing your research.”

Cetinic says there are no standard prices for jobs for residential building; there are some for commercial jobs because the scale of work on a square metre basis is usually so much greater than for work done on houses.

“Plus some contractors are opportunistic – when they’re busy they’ll charge a higher price and when they’re slow they’ll charge a lower amount just to get the work. Really, the only way to get the work done at the price you want to a standard that’s acceptable is to find a tradie you have a connection with,” says Cetinic.

Laorence Nohra, CEO at Tradebusters, which offers a tradesman co-ordination service, agrees prices depend on the inclusions and exclusions of a job.

“In general, rates vary from $60 to $90 an hour, which may or may not include a service fee. If someone was charging you $120 an hour that would look wrong to me.”

As to what sort of recourse consumers have if they feel they have been overcharged, Nohra says there’s very little if the home owner has accepted a written quote and that acceptance has been documented.

“Where you do have some recourse is when you’ve been charged extra for variables and what you’ve been charged is very different to what you were quoted on,” she says.

Cetinic says: “At the end of the day, consumers have to take responsibility. It’s not good enough to take a retrospective view. You need to have a paper trail that shows emails back and forth agreeing the scope of work and the price. No one wants to sit in tribunal hearings, so be clear on what you’re expecting and what you’ll pay for that.”

What's been your experience getting quotes from tradies? Share it in the comments below.

107 comments so far

Ask the tradie exactly what materials and fittings are required. Go and buy them yourself - you essentially own them anyway - and agree on a dollar cost per hour and length of time (allowing for contingency) for installing them.

Obtaining multiple fixed quotes is rather iffy as they never really guarantees quality outcomes.

Commenter

Faj

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 8:19AM

get off, tradie will just waltz of to next job.waltzing matilda style .Neighbour needed one washing machine tap fitted to preexisting plumbing,tap screwed on in other words, friend from church did job ,got tap screwed it on was almost next door anyway, and for friend of church price charged only 60, dollars for cheapest tap,one, available (32 pair at bunnings)and cause friend only$ 85 oo labour to turn of mains and screw of old tap screw on new,then turn back on mains , all of about 7 minutes work ,and three minutes travel time.145 dollars thanks , friend.

Commenter

XXX

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 11:33AM

It's quite a cheap shot to group all trades people as shonky when very few are and those that are, are usually unqualified. The problem isn't helped when plumbing and electrical fittings that can only be installed by qualified people are openly sold in retail shops. As a tradesperson I have no problem giving you a list of items to purchase but I am not going to allow you to purchase sub standard products, the wrong products, and expect me to fill in the gaps. Good luck trying to get a trade price. Most people would have no idea what to buy apart from the appliance itself. As a tradesperson I have to purchase them, stock them, warranty them, collect them and cart them. For that you pay a margin of around 15%. You seem to have no problem paying the 500% margin for clothes at a retail store or be charged in 10 minute increments by a lawyer. All those houses, offices and buildings were built by trades people. As a fully qualified and Registered Electrical Contractor with an A Grade License, yes there is a difference, I have to guarantee your whole installation is safe and not just the part I work on, I have to do a maximum demand calculation on your entire system, I have to megger test it for compliance to earthing regulations, I have to install it to wiring regulations. I have to issue a safety certificate which I have to buy first from the safety authority.

Commenter

Extensively Qualified

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 12:06PM

Xxx is incomprehensible.

Commenter

Mk

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 10:05PM

Tradies buy wholesale or get trade discounts...

Stop ripping yourself off and learn to trust people occasionally.

Commenter

terrarocks

Location

melbourne

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 9:04AM

Buy things yourself -- bad idea.Many reasons why:1. Tradies will get bits at trade price will add up some margin and will still probably be cheaper than you pay at retail.2. More likely than not, you will get wrong item and will end up paying more for tradie to fiddle with what you bought. In the end, if anything goes wrong, it will be YOUR fault! 3. A good honest tradie will not touch stuff you bought yourself. Instead, he will take you to the supplier where you can pick whatever is required together and you can pay for it yourself. He will not get his margin, but you will pay more for the job.

Rudolf

Commenter

Rudolf

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 10:03AM

@terrarocks, I do. That is why, where possible and with their agreement. I went with the tradies to buy the stuff through their account. They didn't have to carry the cost until paid and I obtained any discount. You have a problem with that?

Commenter

Faj

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 3:53PM

Funny that the price NEVER includes cleaning up after themselves.Find a tradesman that isn't a grub and the world will beat a path to his door.

Commenter

Glove Puppet

Location

Left Field

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 8:35AM

My husband always cleans up after himself, he dislikes messy and lazy tradies. He's also been working for himself for 10 years and it's all been word of mouth. He's obviously doing something right.

Commenter

Ripley

Location

Hunting Aliens

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 3:48PM

Ripley, can I hire your husband? While I don't know what he does, I'm sure I have a few jobs for him. Bad tradesmen are way easier to find than the good ones.